MDC North Campus: LED, rigging and effects at Lehman Theater and Studio Theater

Which space and approvals does the project need?

North Campus is in Miami-Dade County, Florida, with the mailing address 11380 NW 27th Avenue, Miami, FL 33167. Miami Dade College’s Office of Campus Administration manages use of these theaters. The mailing address alone does not establish the municipality or which authority must review each task; confirm them for the specific building and activity.

MDC has a Chief Building Official and its own construction-project process under procedure 5070, reviewed in 2024. Ask for a determination of whether the proposed installation falls within that process. Renting a room is not a construction permit, and portable equipment does not automatically require a municipal construction application. OFSS handles the institution’s fire protection and security.

Can a screen hang from the line sets or grid?

Do not design a suspension from the number of line sets or grid height. Request the current plan, allowable loads and acceptance of the point, hardware and method from the technical lead. Submit complete weights for panels, hanging bars, hoists, truss, cables and accessories, with calculated reactions. Do not assume equal load sharing between supports.

The linked specifications show no visible edition date. The table helps prepare the enquiry, subject to current confirmation. For Lehman, the heading prints a proscenium width of 44”, while the drawing dimensions it as 44 ft. Do not choose a unit yourself when fabricating scenery or a screen.

What changes for an LED wall standing on the stage?

Submit location, base, ballast, weight per support and the cart route from unloading. The specifications do not publish floor loads, wheel loads or the moving platform’s capacity. Do not infer them from stage dimensions. Request door dimensions, slopes, the authorized route and surface protection before dispatch.

At Lehman, keep the fire curtain’s travel path clear. Ask the technical lead to mark its line on the plan and check clearance from the LED wall, bases, cables and scenery. Do not assume the curtain can push an object aside or design a breakaway piece without review.

Lehman rules reserve ropes and curtains for authorized crew, and lighting and sound for theater technicians or audio personnel. Confirm task by task who may work and operate outside equipment. No universal supplier exclusivity or union agreement has been confirmed for these installations. Set up and remove equipment within the contracted schedule; if the route or load differs, stop that movement until resolved.

How should video, audio and power be prepared?

Request the current inventory before preparing files or sessions. The Studio specification lists ETC Element, Yamaha 01V96i and Panasonic DW 6300; Lehman lists ETC Express 250, Soundcraft Si3 and Panasonic PT-DW100U. These are document references, not a guarantee of availability or the installed version.

The specifications describe VGA with separate audio over a 1/8 in miniplug. They do not establish an available HDMI, SDI or network route. Request the source, accepted input, converters, resolution, frame rate and route to projection. With the authorized system, schedule a reference-image and audio check: if only the picture fails, examine the video route; if only audio is missing, check its separate connection and routing. Return to the accepted route if conversion fails.

A dimmer count does not establish available power for a screen. Request the supply point, voltage, phases, current, connector and whether the output is dimmed or constant power suitable for the exact equipment. Do not connect LED walls, servers or electronics to a dimmed circuit without confirmed compatibility. Leave connections and energization to authorized crew; if the supply does not match, keep equipment de-energized and request correction.

What must be checked before proposing haze, smoke or lasers?

For Lehman, submit the machine, fluid and SDS, quantity, location and rehearsal/show schedule to technical management and OFSS. Establish acceptance, supervision, detection and recovery procedures before any emission. Do not disable detectors or test an effect to find out whether it triggers the alarm. Retain a program without the effect while acceptance is outstanding.

The rules’ reference to dry-ice fog does not automatically authorize its use: equipment, ventilation, handling and location need review. Open flames are prohibited on the Lehman stage. Confirm scenery materials, fabric certificates and project safety conditions; do not apply these rules to Studio as though they were its permit.

No specific laser-show approval procedure is published for these theaters. Identify the equipment, class, beam paths, surfaces and audience before proposing it. Request a determination from the venue and competent authority; applicable Florida Department of Health and FDA requirements are separate processes. If outdoor airspace is affected, FAA involvement must also be resolved. Do not schedule emission while that determination is outstanding.

Which deadlines, costs and change procedures should be planned?

The external form requests submission at least 4 weeks ahead unless an exception is authorized, receipt of insurance no later than 3 days before the event, and final payment before the event unless previously authorized otherwise. These are milestones in the published process: request the current contract and Risk Management requirements, leaving time to correct insurance. The website’s 2-week minimum concerns internal work orders and does not replace the external deadline.

The fee sheet states an effective date of 01/07/2026 (day/month/year). These base amounts are not a rigging quotation or the production total; confirm classification, setup, rehearsal, show and removal hours, crew, services, insurance and applicable additional charges.

If weight, position, height, connection, scenery or an effect changes, mark the revision and resubmit it to affected reviewers before execution. Do not add a load or change the accepted patch to recover a delay. Return to an earlier revision only if equipment, conditions and acceptance still match. The worksheet prepares the enquiry; it neither calculates capacities nor proves permits.